Page 21 of The Missus

‘No, don’t—’ Keira began.

‘I said I’ve got it.’ Alanna aloofly tapped her card against the machine. It was not a kind offer. It was her passive-aggressive way of winning. She wasn’t sure what the hell she’d won, but she was still furious at Keira’s comment about her emotional maturity. ‘After all, this is my mess. Right?’

‘I said the Kelly thing wasn’t your—’

‘That’s gone through,’ the glazer said, picking up her bag and making a swift exit. Alanna didn’t blame her.

The second the door closed, Alanna fixed Keira with a serious look. ‘I think it’s pretty clear this isn’t working out.’

Keira sighed down her nose and sat on the sofa. ‘You want to go?’

‘It’s not about what I want.’

‘I’m not the one that said it.’

‘I’m just beating you to it,’ Alanna told her. That was the truth. She felt it coming, and she wasn’t going to wait for it.

‘Look, this has been a bumpy start. But I wasn’t going to tell you to leave,’ Keira said.

‘I would if I were you.’ She sat down next to Keira. ‘This has been a shit show.’

Keira didn’t say anything to that.

‘OK. I’ll make arrangements,’ Alanna said.

‘I’m not kicking you out,’ Keira said quietly.

‘Because you don’t like rejecting people,’ Alanna said. ‘If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that.’

She stood up and went into her room. She sat down on the edge of her new bed and looked at her phone for a long time, at one phone number in particular. Eventually, she rang it. It was picked up after two rings.

‘Alanna?’

‘Hi, Mum.’

Twelve

Keira was disquieted.

Alanna was leaving today, and Keira wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She supposed this whole thing had been a bad idea from the start. This was what happened when you made big decisions on the hop. Chaos. Keira didn’t like chaos. She wanted to cut through life like a dolphin through water, having a good time, getting laid often, and eating tuna occasionally. She’d had only one real problem and Alanna had presented a simple solution, so she’d thought.

Well, you live and learn.

She went into the kitchen for coffee and found Alanna clearing out her cupboard. ‘I’ll be out of your way soon,’ Alanna told her, putting a bag of pasta in a shopping bag with some other bits and bobs.

‘Don’t rush,’ Keira said. ‘I’m just gonna be working in my room today. Come and go as you please.’

‘Well, she’ll be here soon,’ Alanna said, checking her watch anxiously.

‘Your mother?’

‘That’s the one,’ Alanna said ominously.

‘She bringing anyone to help get the bed out?’

‘She threatened to bring some man with a van, but god knows. My mother tends to change plans a lot.’

‘There’s no rush on that. You can get it whenever.’